


On Children and Forts

by mrhd



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2012-12-12
Packaged: 2017-11-21 00:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/591157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrhd/pseuds/mrhd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Spock babysit Joanna McCoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On Children and Forts

**Author's Note:**

> For this prompt: I think it would be gorgeous if jim had some competition for spock's affection in the way of mcCoy's Joanna or a child that they have rescued - would love to see jam's frustration while awwing at the cuteness of Spock and the kid! Spock is amused and charmed by jim's crazy behaviour. Could lead to talking about having a family themselves? All ends in sexy time of course!

“Thanks for doing this, Jim,” McCoy grumbles. “Know it’s last minute and all.”

Jim waves his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Spock doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body, we had nothing planned for Valentine’s Day.” As he says this, he shoots a look back at Spock over his shoulder.

Spock’s expression remains unchanged. “When I inquired about the holiday, you told me to simply ignore it, as it did not please you.”

Jim sighs. “That was ages ago, when I was single and pining after you.”

“You two can bicker all night,” McCoy jumps in, “but I gotta get to the hospital. Joanna!” he calls.

The small quick footsteps of a child come down the hall and take the corner. “Daddy, are you leaving?” asks Joanna, six years old, brown-haired like her father, but infinitely happier.

“Yes, baby,” he replies, smiling for once when Joanna runs forward and flings her arms around his waist. “Uncle Jim and Spock are gonna watch you okay? Listen to them and don’t cause trouble.

“I won’t,” Joanna promises.

McCoy looks at Spock. “Don’t let Jim and her gang up on you and cause all sorts of trouble, alright.”

“I will do my best,” Spock says solemnly, while Jim whines in mock offense and smacks both their arms.

“Up!” Joanna says, letting go of Leonard and turning to Jim.

“Hey, baby girl,” he says, picking her up.

“I’m going now,” McCoy says, kissing Joanna on the top of her head.

“Bye, daddy!” she chirps.

~~~~~~~~

Spock has absolutely no experience with children. He doesn’t know how to interact with the small girl he and Jim are in charge of for the night. So he tries to stay out of the way and watches Jim entertain her like he was meant to do it.

Spock experiences a small, emotional, illogical pain that he can’t provide Jim with any children. It’s obvious that Jim enjoys children.

Jim catches Spock’s eye and grins at him.

Spock inclines his head, his own way of smiling, and watches as Joanna tugs Jim down by the hem of his shirt.

~~~~~~~~

“I don’t think he likes me very much,” Joanna whispers sadly to Jim.

“Who, Spock?” Jim whispers back. “Nonsense. He’s just sort of afraid of children.”

“That’s silly,” Joanna replies.

“Spock just isn’t good at meeting new people,” Jim says. “Go over there and say ‘hi’.”

Joanna looks at him and bites her lip.

Jim nods and whispers, “Go.”

~~~~~~~~

Spock watches as Joanna trots up to him. “Hi,” she says.

“Hello,” Spock says, inclining his head again.

“I’m Joanna.”

“I am aware. I am Spock.” He arranges his fingers into the ta’al.

Joanna stares at his hand

“It is the Vulcan gesture of greeting,” Spock supplies.

Joanna raises her own hand and tries to mimic the salute. She tries for a few moments, and proves unsuccessful, her frown increasing with each try. “How do you do that so easily?”

“I have done it ever since I was a child.”

“I’m a child, can you teach me?” Joanna asks, offering her hand.

Spock hesitates before taking her hand in his larger one and arranging her fingers.

Joanna giggles. “That tickles,” she tells Spock.

“Jim is also quite ticklish,” Spock says without thinking.

Joanna leans up on her tiptoes and beckons Spock down farther. “I know that,” she giggles, “so let’s ambush him.”

Spock can find no logical reason to refuse.

~~~~~~~~

After successfully bringing Jim to the ground, writhing and pleading for mercy, Joanna looks over to Spock and grins, and, to Jim’s utter astonishment, Spock gives her a small smile in return.

At first, it’s endearing that Spock is actually so good with a kid. Jim thinks that it may make Spock more open to the idea of adopting, or trying one of the various new techniques to mutate sperm into an egg, should Jim ever choose to broach the subject.

It starts to become a lot less cute when a full two hours pass without Jim being spared one moment of attention from either his best friend’s daughter, or his own boyfriend. On Valentine’s Day.

But Jim isn’t one to just roll over and surrender his boyfriend to the first cute girl that comes along. So he walks up to the pair and simply plucks Joanna out of Spock’s arms.

Joanna squeals and Spock gives Jim an odd look, one that means he’s trying to figure him out.

“I wanna build a fort!” Joanna tells him.

“Okay,” Jim agrees readily, putting her down. “Go get your stuff.”

Joanna runs off and Jim starts tugging the furniture around.

Spock raises his eyebrow.

“We’re building a fort, Spock,” Jim says. “With pillows and blankets and whatever else we have.”  
“Is this a common activity for human children?”

“Sure. Sam and I did it all the time. Created a sort of safe place, you know?”

“I understand the desire,” Spock says, inclining his head.

Jim grins up at him. “Those are good memories for me, Spock.

“It…unsettles me to think of you having been caused pain.”

Jim thinks his heart might have melted a little.

The moment is broken when Joanna comes barreling into him. “Come help me get the stuff off Daddy’s bed,” she pleads, pulling Jim by the hand.

Jim laughs and allows himself to be pulled.

When they return, Spock has rearranged all the furniture.

He has the grace to give Jim a somewhat guilty look. Well, guilty for him. No one not Jim would be able to see the difference. “I’ve arranged them for the maximum effect and efficiency judged on the amount of furniture and the length of the blankets.”

Jim is torn between sighing and laughing. “It’s okay if it’s messy, Spock.”

Joanna doesn’t seem to care one way or another. She shoves a blanket into Spock’s hands and says, “Get to work!”

Spock blinks and Jim laughs.

“You too!”

“Yes, Captain,” Jim says, saluting the girl.

She giggles in delight and starts on one end of the fort. Jim starts on the other. Like earlier, Spock stands on the fringes of the activity watching.

“Spock, I’m sorry,” Jim says, ducking out from under a blanket. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you were doing wrong or anything, I was only teasing.”

“I know. I was simply watching to observe patterns before I attempt the endeavor myself.”

Jim just grins in response.

It doesn’t take long after that for Spock to observe enough before he jumps in.

Jim feels another pang of jealousy when Spock goes to help Joanna instead of him.

He shakes his head. Joanna is a child, logically, she needs more help than Jim. Besides, it was his idea to get Joanna and Spock to be friends in the first place.

But when the entire fort is built and Spock hasn’t interacted with Jim once, it starts to look like a bad idea.

So Jim throws a leftover pillow at Spock to get his attention.

Spock actually starts, it’s great. He turns to look at Jim, completely surprised. “What have I done to warrant such an attack?”

“Aw, Spock, don’t tell me you’ve never had a pillow fight.”

“I have not.”

“Nonsense,” Jim says as Joanna catches on and throws another pillow at Spock’s back.

Spock starts again. Joanna tries to muffle her giggles in her hand, but Jim laughs outright, throwing another pillow.

Spock catches this one.

He looks at it, contemplating. Then, with Vulcan speed, hurls it back at Jim.

Jim huffs in surprise and Joanna bursts into giggles again.

“Do you think that’s funny?” he teases, chucking the pillow at Joanna’s head. She squeals and ducks.

And so begins an epic pillow fight.

~~~~~~~~

When Leonard comes back home, all the lights are off. He shuts the door quietly, figuring everyone is asleep.

“Lights to five percent,” he whispers, bring up a dim light enough for him to see by.  
He sighs when he notices that Jim and Jo have rearranged all the furniture in the area into a fort.

Jim pokes his head out of the curtains of this fort, a finger pressed to his lips as he crawls out. “She fell asleep in there,” he whispers.

McCoy sighs. “She can’t sleep in there all night, Jim.”

Jim shrugs. All the blankets and pillows were used in the fort and she got upset when taking it down was mentioned. She’s actually asleep on the couch.

Leonard rubs his forehead. “And where am I supposed to sleep?”

Jim shrugs. “I liked sleeping in them when I was little too. A sense of adventure, completely with the safety that comes from your own little world.”

McCoy rolls his eyes, but pats Jim’s shoulder all the same. “Thanks, really,” he mutters.  
“I like it, I’ll watch her any time.”

Spock then crawls out of the fort, and nods at Leonard.

“They hurrahed you into this, did they?”

Spock looks back at McCoy evenly. “It was in my best interests to please both of them.”

Jim snorts and McCoy rolls his eyes once more.

“Alright, we’ll get out of your hair,” Jim says, pulling on Spock’s forearm. “’Night, Bones.”

“’Night,” Leonard returns, waving at them both.

~~~~~~~~

“So it was fun, right?” Jim asks flopping back on their bed.

“Indeed.” Spock nods.

Jim smiles and sits up. “Can we talk then?”

Spock turns around quickly. “Is anything the matter?”

“No, but, um, I wanted to ask you something.”

Spock sits down next to Jim, rubbing his fingers lightly over the back of Jim’s hand. “You are distressed,” he murmurs. “I assure you, whatever you say will not anger me.”

“I know that, logically, but I kind of wanted to talk about something huge.”

Spock waits patiently for Jim to continue.

“Do…where do you see this going, Spock?”

“Our relationship?” Jim feels Spock’s finger twitch like they’re going to pull back, but he doesn’t. “I do not see it ending.”

“So you would be open to spending the rest of your life with me?”

“Jim, are you attempting to propose?”

Jim chuckles. “No, I’m not, and if I was, you would have just totally killed the mood.”

“I apologize for killing the hypothetical mood.”

Jim smiles. “But, um, kids. You and Jo got on really well.”

“I admit I was surprised. I never expected to have skill with children.”

“Did you like it?”

“I did.”

“Would you, I mean, um, not now, but, kids. With me. Would you want to?”

Jim expects either a long silence or Spock’s immediate retreat, but instead Spock pulls Jim’s hand to his mouth and sucks gently on the knuckles.

Spock says, “Yes.” Firmly and clearly against Jim’s hand.

Jim’s answering grin is dazzling. “I love you,” he says.

Spock leans forward, pushing Jim back on the bed and kisses him, hard and rough.

Jim hums and opens his mouth, arching up.

“I’ll take that as an ‘I love you too, Jim’,” he gasps when he pulls away for air.

“I do indeed love you, Jim,” Spock says, pulling Jim’s shirt up over his head. Then his mouth his back on Jim’s and there’s nothing else in the world but the two of them.


End file.
